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“Where else in the world can you jump on the back of a trailer and get...

“Where else in the world can you jump on the back of a trailer and get towed along the beach by a 1949 Minneapolis-Moline tractor to a bird colony?” Established in 1952, Gannet Beach Adventures has a long history of providing tours on a spectacular stretch of the Hawke’s Bay coastline, from Clifton to Cape Kidnappers. This unique, fun eco-experience tour involves travel with local experienced guides by vintage tractors and trailers on a comfortable four-hour adventure to the largest mainland gannet colony in the world. Departing on the days’ low tide, visitors travel by tractor and trailer along the majestically rugged coastline. Photographic opportunities abound as stops are made throughout the journey giving visitors an insight into how nature’s forces have shaped this amazing area.

This trip was unique and great fun. Such good value at $44 for over 4 hours entertainment. A little bumpy at times, the tractor ride along the beach and through the water had great sights along the way.
Our guides were informative and funny. At Cape Kidnappers the track was steep but the fierce wind definitely assisted us in getting...
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We are a group of 6 friends in their sixties, all with heaps of travel experience, and I would definitely rate this excursion as one of the best I've ever done. The tractor ride was fantastic, with our great guide who was both knowledgeable and fun. Loved the info re the birds, (not only gannets), the cliff face geology, and...
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This is a great (and long) trip along a rough stony beach in a trailer pulled by a beach tractor - if you have extra padding, bring it along to sit on! The guide will tell you about the local geology and wildlife, and at the far end you get to walk uphill to the gannet colony. Be aware that...
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Helpful?

Thank Margaret R

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Gannetgirl, Owner at Gannet Beach Adventures, responded to this review

Thanks for your review Margaret, glad you enjoyed your day.
Regarding the walk, we obviously try and make sure people are aware of the this before they take our trip and there is quite detailed information about it in the pre-trip safety information that we provide to passengers. We do appreciate that it isn't suitable for everyone, and we pass...
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The timing of this trip is dependent on tide times and on our day of choice the departure time was 8.00am, with pick up from our Napier motel an hour earlier. My 14 year old son was not thrilled at the prospect of a 6.30am wakeup call on holiday but once we set off down the beach on a tractor-towed...
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Helpful?

Thank Kimo411

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Gannetgirl, Owner at Gannet Beach Adventures, responded to this review

Thanks for your great feedback Kim - so pleased you both enjoyed your day!
Appreciate you taking the time to review us.
Many thanks.
Kind regards
Kim
Gannet Beach Adv.
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This was an excellent half day trip on Sunday 13 November. We left on the tractor at 8:30am. The tractor ride is made both informative and entertaining by the driver. Our tractor driver was Rod. Good explanations are given of the natural features of the cliffs and surrounding land is given on the ride to the cape and back. We...
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Thank Neil W

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Gannetgirl, Owner at Gannet Beach Adventures, responded to this review

This was a really unique and awesome day out and just so much more than I expected. The ride along the beach on a trailer pulled by the tractor was an experience in itself and that alone was worth the money.
In addition to this our Driver/Guide made the trip fun, kept us safe and had so much information on...
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Thank Oditty

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Gannetgirl, Owner at Gannet Beach Adventures, responded to this review

Thanks Oditty for your wonderful review! Great to hear you had such a memorable time with us and enjoyed every aspect of the tour!
Many thanks again.
Kind regards
Kim
Gannet Beach Adv.
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We had heard about "The tractor Ride on the Beach", and it sounded like fun. We got so much more from the trip: the gannets were beautiful, the geology lessons were fascinating, and the natural beauty of the land was exquisite. Add to that, the fun of the tractor ride (trailer) on the beach. Colin was incredibly informative and kind.

Helpful?

Thank Susan K

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Gannetgirl, Owner at Gannet Beach Adventures, responded to this review

Thanks for your great review Susan! So pleased you enjoyed the trip, and that we managed to surpass your expectations - it is always nice to hear that, and know we must be doing something right!
Many thanks.
Kind regards
Kim
Gannet Beach Adv.
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I really enjoyed this trip to see the gannets along the beach on a trailer pulled by a tractor. It's so much more than just seeing birds!
Be aware that when you get to the end of the beach you have to walk up a vertical hill to get to the second and third colonies. The day I went at...
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Helpful?

Thank Nicnac23

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Gannetgirl, Owner at Gannet Beach Adventures, responded to this review

Thanks for your review Nicnac23 - pleased you enjoyed the tour with us, but maybe not so much the walk by the sounds of things! As this part of the tour is in the Dept. of Conservation Reserve, the walking track is maintained by them and falls under their guidelines of an "easy walk", which is recommended as being suitable...
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